Search Launched for Four Survivors After U.S. Strike on Three Drug Boats

On Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command launched strikes to destroy three drug-smuggling boats in one engagement, killing three suspected traffickers and - in a departure from other recent attacks - leaving four alive for potential rescue.

In a statement Wednesday, Southern Command said that the three boats were operating in international waters along known smuggling routes. The three targets had previously engaged in a boat-to-boat transfer of suspected narcotics, and all three were operating together in a formation.

One boat was destroyed in an airstrike, killing three people on board. The operators of the other two boats jumped over the side into the water and swam away before follow-up strikes hit their vessels, Southern Command said. This left four survivors overboard.

Rather than conduct another follow-up strike, Southern Command notified the U.S. Coast Guard of a search-and-rescue situation at the scene. The command did not specify whether any survivors had been rescued.

Video of the strikes shows the use of cannonfire on at least one instance, signaling the presence of a U.S. Air Force AC-130J gunship, which has been seen deployed in Southern Command and has been used in some previous interdictions.